Jack device



April 28, 1964 M. A. MANDELKO JACK DEVICE i www April 28, 1964 M. A. MANDELKO 3,130,956

JACK DEVICE Filed May 2l, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 50 52 'o /0506 $6( Il 6 6 yy ,$49 l y sa 4Z W :l D I :1 12:: n

I IIJ# 32 f PI -5 f i a ff 52 Il 86 j /02 l 941 @o I I ya 5 l f1@ I l l 7a. /0 I i I IN VEN TOR. MEZ V//V 17' M/YflKO BY iwf/v5.9.5 @"4 w of Hs United States Patent O 3,130,956 .IACK DEVCE Melvin A. Mandeil-io, Fort Dodge, iowa, assignor to Super- Draulic Manufacturing Company, Fort Dodge, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Fiied May 21, 1962, Ser. No. 196,092 9 Claims. (El. 254-2) My invention relates to jack devices particularly adapted to lifting forward or rearward ends of vehicles. Existing jacks have experienced some difficulty in the control and operation of the jack elements during both the raising and lowering functions, and the safety mechanisms employed while the jacks are in a raised stationary position are sometimes not fully reliable.

Therefore, a principal object of my invention is to provide a jack device that is equipped with a safety mechanism which is automatically employed whenever the jack is in a raised condition.

A further object of my invention is to provide a jack device that can compensate for a slight disalignment of the component parts of the lifting mechanism.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a jack device that will provide a stable means of support for the object being lifted.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a jack device that can be simply operated, but which is at all times safe.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a jack device that can have its component parts easily assembled.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a jack device that is economical of manufacture, durable in use, and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists of the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my device in a lowered and inoperative position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of my device in a raised and operative position;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view of my device with portions thereof cut away to more fully illustrate its construction;

FIG. 4 is a partial elevational View of my device taken at right angles to the View in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional View of my device as taken on line 5 5 of FIG. 4.

I have used the numerals 18 and 12 to designate vertically disposed U-shaped channels. The webs of the channels are placed back-to-back in spaced relation where bushings 14 maintain the spaced relation as rivets 16 extend therethrough to aiiix the channels together. Horizontal angles 18 are welded or otherwise secured to the bottom ends of channels 18, and extend forwardly and outwardly therefrom. A gusset plate 20 is welded to the angles 18 and the forwardmost flanges of channels 10 and 12. A horizontal axle 22 is welded to the rearmost flanges of channels 19 and 12 at the lower ends thereof,

`and wheels 24 are rotatably secured to the outer ends thereof. The lower portions of wheels 24 and angles 18 are in the same horizontal plane. Kick plate 26 is welded to the lower ends of channels and 12, and extends outwardly from the lower ends thereof.

A plate 28 is welded to the upper ends of channels 10 and 12, as shown in FIG. 3. A threaded stud bolt 30 is Welded to the center of plate 28 and extends upwardly therefrom. A circular stationary piston 32 is concentrically mounted on plate 28 as bolt 30 extends through a center opening therein. Nut 34 on bolt 30 detachably holds piston 32 in place. A conventional O-ring 36 is received in a suitable groove on the periphery of piston 32.

A cylinder 38 with circular walls 40 and closed top 42 extends downwardly over the upper ends of channels 10 and 12. Top 42 protrudes slightly beyond the perimeter of cylinder walls 40. Handles 44 extend outwardly and rearwardly from the upper end of cylinder 38. A three-way control valve 46 is secured to the top of cylinder 38 and communicatesv with the interior of the cylinder by stem 48. Control bar 50 is pivotally secured to valve 46 and is spring loaded in the neutral position shown in FIG. 3. When end 52 of bar 50 is depressed, compressed air is introduced into the valve 46 through a conduit 54 which is, in turn, secured to a source of compressed air. The air is permitted to pass through valve 46, thence through stern 48, and thence into the upper end of the cylinder. When end 56 of bar 50 is depressed, air in the cylinder is permitted to exhaust through stern 48, valve 46 and port 58 therein which communicates with the atmosphere.

Castings 60 have an arcuate face and are secured to the inner opposite side portions of the lower rim of cylinder 38 by bolts 62. Ears 64 protrude downwardly from the inner face thereof and present a horizontal shoulder 66 on each casting 60. Shoulders 66 are substantially flush with the bottom rim of cylinder 38. Vertical plates 68 are pivotally secured to the outer faces of ears 64 by studs 70 which protrude through suitable apertures in the plates. Snap rings '72 limit the lateral movement of the plates with respect to ears 64. The pivotal action between pilates 68 is limited by the small distance between the upper straight edge 74 of plates 68 and the lower rim of cylinder 38. This space is indicated by the numeral 76 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

A roller 78 has each of its ends rotatably mounted in one each of the plates 68 and is in rotatable engagement with the forward flanges of channels 10 and 12. A bead 88 on roller 78 extends between the channels. A second roller 82 is rotatably supported by plates 68 and is in rotatable engagement with the rearward flanges of channels 10 and 12. A beat 84 on roller 82 extends between the two channels. As shown in FIG. 4, the rearward edges of plates 68 extend rearwardly of cylinder 38. A pin 86 extends between the rearward portions of plates 68 and rotatably supports a sleeve 88.

width which extends forwardly between the channels.

An arcuate notch in tongue 94 is adapted to engage at times various of the bushings 14 between channels 10 and 12. The top of tongue 94 is arcuate in shape and extends forwardly and downwardly. The counterweigh-t portion 92 normally causes ratchet element 90 to pivot to the A posi-tion shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 4 wherein tongue 94 is in an elevated position. The shoulder 96 on counterweight portion 92, which is created by the relative decrease in width between por-tion 92 and tongue 94, engages the rearward flanges of channels 10 and 12 to limit this automatic pivotal movement of ratchet element 98. A vertical rod 98 has its lower end pivotally secured to the counterweight portion 92 of ratchet element 98. Rod 98 extends upwardly and movably penetrates a protruding edge of the top 42 of cylinder 38. A control knob 100 is secured to the upper end of rod 98 to permit the rod to be manually raised at times to depress the tongue 94 on ratchet element 90.

Tube 102 is rigidly secured to the forward ends of plates 68. Tube 102 extends through and laterally outwardly from the plates 68, and arms 104 are rigidly secured to the ends thereof and extend forwardly therefrom. U-shaped bracket 106 is rigidly secured to the forward ends of arms 104. The center bottom portion of bracket 106 is open. Bars 108 are pivotally secured near their adjacent inner ends to bracket 106 by pins 110. Stop elements 112 are welded to the lower edges of bars 108 to engage the bottom of bracket 166 when the bars are in a horizontal position. While in this position, the top inner ends of bars 108 engage stop member 114 on the top of bracket 106, and a portion of the bottoms of bars 108 engage bottom portion 116 of the bracket. Identical brackets 118 are slidably detachably mounted on bars 108 and a plurality of bumper adapters 120, 122 and 124 are secured thereto to accommodate bumpers of different vehicles. Brackets 118 can be slidably removed from the bars 108; thence rotated; and then replaced on the bars to present a diiferent bumper adapter.

The normal operation of my device is as follows: The unit as depicted in FIG. l can be moved from place to place on wheels 24 which support the unit when it is tilted rearwardly. This tilting can be eiiected by utilizing handles 44 and kick plate 26. When placed before the forward bumper of an automobile, for example, the bars 108 are rotated from the vertical position shown in FIG. 1 to the horizontal position shown in FIG. 2. The end S2 of the control bar 50 can be depressed to allow an onrush of compressed air to enter the top of cylinder 38 above stationary piston 32. This air causes the cylinder to rise, and the upwardly moving cylinder also carries upwardly plates 68 and their related structure, including bars 108. When the bumper adapters have been aixed to the front bumper of the vehicle in question, bar 50 can be depressed again to cause the cylinder to raise the vehicle to the desired height.

As indicated above, ratchet element 90 is normally in the A position shown in FIG. 4. While in this position, it can be rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, but shoulder 96 prevents any further clockwise rotation thereof. Thus, any sudden loss of raising power while ratchet element 90 is in the A position will permit the notch 9S in tongue 94 to engage one of the bushings 14 on one of the rivets 16. Since downward movement of the cylinder 38 would tend to cause ratchet element 90 to be rotated in a clockwise direction by its sudden engagement with a bushing 14, and since the ratchet element is precluded from further rotational movement in this direction by the engagement of shoulder 96 with the rearward flange of channels 10 and 12, the downward movement of the cylinder 38 will immediately stop.

The upward movement of the cylinder 38 will cause the ratchet element 90 to move from the A position in FIG. 4 to the B position as tongue 94 is depressed upon having its arcuate top engage the bottom portions of bushings 14. However, counterweight portion 92 of the ratchet element will always cause the ratchet element to move from the B to the A position as soon as Contact with each of the bushings 14 is terminated by the continued upward movement of the cylinder 38. The upper surface of casting 60 engages the bottom of plate 28 to limit the upwardly movement of the cylinder 38.

As end 56 of bar 50 is depressed, air is exhausted out of the cylinder 38 and the cylinder will commence to lower itself on the channels 10 and 12 if the notch 95 of tongue 94 (while in the A position) is not in direct engagement with one of the bushings 14. The cylinder is normally lowered so that this engaging relation between the tongue 94 and one of the bushings 14 can be attained While the vehicle is being worked on in its elevated condition. As indicated above, this condition will enable ratchet element 90 to hold the cylinder 38 in an elevated position even if the air power should fail.

To lower the vehicle, the operator should raise the cylinder 38 so that the ratchet element 90, in its A position, will appear intermediate two bushings 14. See this phenomenon depicted in FIG. 4. The control knob is then elevated to permit rod 98 to cause the ratchet element to pivot to the B position which allows the ratchet element to clear the bushings 14. The cylinder 38 is then lowered in the manner described as upward pressure on rod 98 continues to allow the ratchet element 90 to clear the bushings 14.

If, in the assembly of my device, the castings 60 are secured to the cylinder 38 in such a manner that the cylinder is not in complete axial alignment with channels 10 and 12, the cylinder can pivot slightly on studs 70 to rectify this problem.

Thus, from the foregoing, it is seen that my device will accomplish at least all of its stated objectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my jack device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

l. In a jack device,

a supporting means,

a pair of elongated vertical elements secured to said supporting means and extending upwardly therefrom, said vertical elements being spaced apart in parallel fashion,

a plurality of spaced apart connecting elements extending between said vertical elements and being positioned in vertical alignment,

a stationary piston element secured to the upper end of said vertical elements,

a hollow cylinder having a closed top and open bottom slidably receiving said vertical elements and said piston element through the lower end thereof,

control means on said cylinder for selectively introducing or exhausting compressed air into or out of, respectively, the inner top portion of said cylinder whereby said cylinder can be vertically moved with respect to said piston element,

bracket means secured to said cylinder and adapted to be secured to an object to be lifted,

a ratchet element pivotally secured to said bracket means,

a tongue on said ratchet element extending between said vertical elements to engage one of said connecting elements at times,

a shoulder on said ratchet element engaging said vertical elements when said tongue is engaging said connecting elements to prevent said ratchet element from pivoting out of engagement with said connecting elements,

and means on said ratchet element for manually pivoting said tongue out of the path of said vertically aligned connecting elements after said cylinder has been moved vertically upwardly to disengage said tongue from one of said connecting elements.

2. The structure of claim l wherein said ratchet element includes a counterweight oppositely disposed to said tongue, said ratchet element being pivotally secured to said bracket means at a point thereon whereby said counterweight will normally urge said shoulder into engagement with said vertical elements, and said tongue into a position where it will dwell in the path of said vertically aligned connecting elements.

3. The structure of claim l wherein said vertical elements are U-shaped channel members.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said bracket means is pivotally secured to said cylinder.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said cylinder includes castings which extend downwardly below the lower end of said cylinder, and wherein said bracket means is pivotally secured to said castings.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein said cylinder includes castings which extend downwardly below the lower end of said cylinder, said bracket means pivotally being secured to said castings; said bracket means being spaced a slight distance below the bottom of said cylinder to limit the pivotal action of said bracket means with respect to said cylinder.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein said bracket means includes castings which extend upwardly into the lower end of said cylinder, said castings being adapted to engage the bottom of said piston element to limit the upward movement of said cylinder with respect to said vertical elements.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein said bracket means includes separate roller elements which engage opposite sides of said Vertical elements, and a bead on said roller elements extending into the space between said Vertical elements.

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein said ratchet element includes a counterweight oppositely disposed to said tongue, said ratchet element being pivotally secured to said bracket means at a point thereon whereby said counterweight will normally urge said shoulder into engagement with said Vertical elements and said tongue into a position where it will dwell inthe path of said vertically aligned connecting elements; said tongue being arcuate shaped on its upper edge and extending forwardly and downwardly, and there being an arcuate notch formed in the lower edge of said tongue.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,868,501 Cloud et al. Ian. 13, 1959 2,937,002 Schultz May 17, 1960 3,044,747 Nolden July 17, 1962 

1. IN A JACK DEVICE, A SUPPORTING MEANS, A PAIR OF ELONGATED VERTICAL ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID VERTICAL ELEMENTS BEING SPACED APART IN PARALLEL FASHION, A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART CONNECTING ELEMENTS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID VERTICAL ELEMENTS AND BEING POSITIONED IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT, A STATIONARY PISTON ELEMENT SECURED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID VERTICAL ELEMENTS, A HOLLOW CYLINDER HAVING A CLOSED TOP AND OPEN BOTTOM SLIDABLY RECEIVING SAID VERTICAL ELEMENTS AND SAID PISTON ELEMENT THROUGH THE LOWER END THEREOF, CONTROL MEANS ON SAID CYLINDER FOR SELECTIVELY INTRODUCING OR EXHAUSTING COMPRESSED AIR INTO OR OUT OF, RESPECTIVELY, THE INNER TOP PORTION OF SAID CYLINDER WHEREBY SAID CYLINDER CAN BE VERTICALLY MOVED WITH RESPECT TO SAID PISTON ELEMENT, BRACKET MEANS SECURED TO SAID CYLINDER AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO AN OBJECT TO BE LIFTED, A RATCHET ELEMENT PIVOTALLY SECURD TO SAID BRACKET MEANS, A TONGUE ON SAID RATCHET ELEMENT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID VERTICAL ELEMENTS TO ENGAGE ONE OF SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS AT TIMES, A SHOULDER ON SAID RATCHET ELEMENT ENGAGING SAID VERTICAL ELEMENTS WHEN SAID TONGUE IS ENGAGING SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS TO PREVENT SAID RATCHET ELEMENT FROM PIVOTING OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS, AND MEANS ON SAID RATCHET ELEMENT FOR MANUALLY PIVOTING SAID TONGUE OUT OF THE PATH OF SAID VERTICALLY ALIGNED CONNECTING ELEMENTS AFTER SAID CYLINDER HAS BEEN MOVED VERTICALLY UPWARDLY TO DISENGAGE SAID TONGUE FROM ONE OF SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS. 